


The Untold Truth; Winnie's Whereabouts

by Gooble, Jdoods



Category: Winnie-the-Pooh - All Media Types, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, But a hybrid human bear thing, College, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Honestly this makes little sense, Hybrids, Multi, Winnie-the-Pooh References, yeontan is winnie the pooh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 04:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15210542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gooble/pseuds/Gooble, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jdoods/pseuds/Jdoods
Summary: Taehyung's honeybear was missing. And it was gonna take the help of a few old friends to find her again.(Winnie the Pooh hybrid AU based vaguely on the highlight reel)





	The Untold Truth; Winnie's Whereabouts

**** The door slams shut. 

Taehyung sighs, flitting his eyes over to the clock. 9:30PM. Reluctantly, he makes his way their bedroom, kicking his slippers off before throwing himself down onto the bed with a huff. 10PM. 11PM. 11:30PM. Time seems to go slower when she’s not there. “She’ll come home soon” He reassures himself, still staring at the clock as if he could go back in time and prevent the stupid argument. But as the night wears on, the high emotions take their toll and he finally falls asleep. 

 

Taehyung rolls over, expecting Yeontan to be in bed beside him. Shocked and upset upon finding her side of the bed empty and cold, he’s roused from his dazed state. Stumbling to his feet, he rushes over to living room to check the sofa. Empty. Panic starts to set in. Taehyung rushes from room to room, covering their entire apartment until he reaches the kitchen where the argument started. Their dirty dishes are still sitting on the side, glasses half empty, and amongst all the mess, Yeontan’s mobile phone. He rolls his eyes. Of course she forgot her phone. She’d forget her head if it weren’t screwed on. He goes to pick it up, before the sudden noise of Shinee’s Ring Ding Dong in the silent apartment startles him. On instinct, he answers the phone. “Hi, is this Yeontan?” an unfamiliar man’s voice greets. 

“No, but this is her boyfriend, Taehyung.” He scowls to himself. “Who is this?”

“My name’s Seokjin, I found your girlfriend’s book in the street and found this number inside.”

“Oh.” He blushes slightly at his own hostility. “Where did you find it?” He asks, concerned as to her whereabouts. 

“It was quite near the shelter I run, I thought she might be looking for accommodation, you can come pick it up or I can drop it off if you want?” Taehyung considers the options, conscious that she may still be around the area. 

“I’ll come pick it up, can you tell me the address?” he asks.

“Sure, I’ll text it over. When you get here ask the receptionist for me and we’re Gucci”. 

“Thanks dude, I’ll see you in about an hour”. Tae hurries over to the bathroom, having the fastest shower of his life before multitasking brushing his teeth and drying his hair to save time. Before leaving, he pockets both their phones, leaving the door unlocked just in case she came home, aware of her keys still sitting beside the door.

 

* * *

**The Golden Couple**

Taehyung arrives at the shelter, looking around at the homey interior before approaching the front desk. “Hi, I’m looking for Seokjin?” he inquires.

“Of course, do you have an appointment?” the receptionist seems unhurried in contrast to Taehyung’s rushed approach.

“Uh, no. Seokjin told me to ask for him over the phone earlier. He found something of mine.”

The receptionist eyes him suspiciously before picking up his phone “Jin hyung, there’s a man here to see you. Says you have something for him.” The boy’s gaze seems heated as laughter can be heard from the other end. The receptionist places the phone back down and silently points towards a door. Taehyung nods at him politely before following his direction. 

Taehyung knocks on the door, obviously labelled with Kim Seokjin’s name, being welcomed in. Taehyung’s posture is stiff as he enters the man’s office, “Hi, I’m Taehyung. You found my girlfriend’s book.” The man in front of him is ridiculously attractive, sending him an unfairly warm smile. There’s something about the hybrid’s aura that’s instantly trustworthy, and Taehyung finds himself relaxing slightly despite his broad shoulders and impressive frame, a trademark of Kangaroo hybrid.

“Hi, nice to meet you Taehyung-ssi” The man stands. Of course he’s tall as well. In his hand he holds a red diary, that Tae has only ever seen briefly around their shared apartment before. Curiosity battles with his respect for her privacy as he accepts it from him. As Taehyung goes to leave, Seokjin’s hand on his shoulder stops him in his tracks. “Do you mind if I ask you what’s going on? You seem nervous, is there anything I can do to help?” 

Taehyung finds himself wanting to confess to the stranger, hesitating slightly.

“I saw in the book that your girlfriend’s a hybrid. A bear right?” Tae nods in response “I’m a specialist when it comes to hybrid safety and behaviours, so if something’s wrong I man be able to help.” 

Tae feels tears well up in his eyes, much to the Kangaroo’s surprise. He gently leads the boy to sit at his desk, placing a box of tissues in front of him. He briskly picks up his phone “Kook-ah, can you please bring in some tea? Quickly.” 

Taehyung takes a deep breath and quietly mutters “She’s missing”, he licks his chapped lips “We had a stupid argument last night and she stormed out. I haven’t seen her since.” 

Jin nods slowly in response, voice soothing “So it hasn’t been that long right? Let’s just stay calm. Maybe there’s something in the notebook that can help us find her.”

Tae takes a shuddering breath as he attempts to calm himself, before nodding, mannerisms childlike and shy. He places the book on the desk, somewhat apprehensive as he opens to the first page. “Pu Yeontan. 27th July 1993. If found please call…” Jin mumbles to himself the basic contact information but finds nothing of interest. Beside that page is a small identification photo displaying her cute chubby cheeks and fluffy ears. She’s wearing the same red crop top that she was wearing when Taehyung first met her and what she was wearing last night coincidentally.  The receptionist choses this moment to enter the room, placing the tea tray on the desk between them, pausing when his eyes fall upon Yeontan’s diary. “Winnie?” he asks suddenly, cute kangaroo ears perking up as he looks between the two men. 

Taehyung is taken aback, looking up at the boy, “Wait, how do you know her? She doesn’t even use that nickname anymore.”

“It’s kind of a long story” the younger says “But she used to call me Roo if that means anything to you..”

“Oh!” Seokjin exclaims, “Yeontan is your Winnie, Jeongguk? Small world…”

“I know it’s a long shot, but was there anywhere that she used to go when she was upset?” Tae asks eagerly.

Jeongguk falters for a second, “I’m not really sure, we were only close when we were younger… And more recently the last time I saw her was in the hospital.” 

 

_ I glumly glare down at the cast encasing my foot, feeling trapped inside my body, trapped inside this hospital. I suppose it’s my own fault for getting injured, I shouldn’t have been showing off, bouncing around, doing all those tricks. There’s nothing to do here, and Jin hyung’s busy at work so he can’t come and see me, I just have to wait around all pathetic and incapable. I even smashed my phone so I can’t play games to pass the time until someone comes and picks me up. _

_ Sighing, I give up on any hopes of not dying of boredom, and then I see her. “Winnie?”. The girl in question turns to me, tugging a drip along as she singles me out.  _

_ “Roo?” _

_ I almost try to stand up I’m so excited, “Winnie oh my God, I can’t believe it’s you! You’re all grown up, noona.” _

_ Winnie laughs, “And you’re still a baby, Roo, haven’t grown a bit.” _

_ I pout at that, reverting back to how I used to act around her “Noona, please.” _

_ She scoffs. “Whiny baby.” _

_ “Only for you.” I’m enjoying how we just fit back together, until I remember the drip she’s dragging along, concern overwhelms me “Noona, what happened? Why are you here?” _

_ She dismisses me with a wave “I could say the same about you. Let me guess. You jumped off something again?” _

_ I roll my eyes at her, “It’s never quite that simple, is it…” I blush “I jumped off of several things.” _

_ She humours me with a giggle, plopping down on the seat lining the hospital corridor. “Of course you did. Silly me.” _

_ I shake my head at her, “But seriously Winnie, what happened? I need to know that you’re alright.” _

_ She flits her eyes down the corridor nervously, as though we’re being watched. “Oh it’s nothing too serious. My blood sugar was too low.” She tips her head back tiredly “But once I finish the drip I’ll be good to go.” _

_ I nod my head, still concerned for my friend, “Okay I guess, but Noona you’re looking unhealthy, you need to look after yourself.” _

_ “I am, I promise. So let’s catch up baby Roo, what’s been happening?” _

_ “Nothing much, but I’ve got a good job now. I’m working as a receptionist at this shelter for hybrids who are struggling, the owner’s this really handsome guy-” _

_ “- get in there Roo you thot.” She hollers loudly, slightly inappropriately for a hospital. _

_ I flush red, flustered by the insinuation, “I’ll have you know that I am not a thot, Winnie. He’s just a handsome guy, and he’s helping me get on my feet after uni, it’s simple.” _

_ “Yeah. Simple. Sure” She winks “Tell me more. What’s he look like? Knowing your narcissistic streak he just looks like an older version of you.” _

_ “Well, his name’s Seokjin… And I mean he doesn’t look like me, but he is a kangaroo hybrid too, gotta stick together y’know.” _

_ “Racist” She teases before shaking her head at her own poor joke. “No but seriously, good on you, I’m glad things are looking good at the moment” she smiles genuinely, cheeks hollower than they used to be but still round when she smiles. _

_ “Noona.” I pause, unsure how to approach this issue again. “I know how things get for you sometimes, are you sure you’re doing alright? We can help you for a while if you need it, Jin hyung can help you out like he did for me?” _

_ “Ever the Samaritan” She nudges me in the side “Remember when we first met? You helped me find my dad at the fair when I lost him. We were so tiny back then.” her eyes go glossy with nostalgia. _

_ “Of course I remember, how could I ever forget? I knew if I did you a favour you’d have to repay me, and how could I ever turn down banana milk.” _

_ “Brat” she rolls her eyes, contrasting her fond smile. _

_ She goes to say something else but is interrupted by a nurse calling her name. Struggling to her feet slightly, she encases me in a hug “It’s been lovely seeing you again Baby Roo” _

_ “You too, Winnie. Come and visit sometime, it’s the only hybrid shelter in the area.” _

_ “Maybe sometime soon.” She winks mysteriously before shuffling down the corridor. _

 

Taehyung looks confused for a moment, “Wait, she was in the hospital for low blood sugar? That must have been before I met her.” 

Jin squeezes his now boyfriends hand. “She has diabetes, right? You carry a spare insulin pen on you everywhere because of it.”

“Yeah, we were really close as kids and sometimes she forgot to monitor her blood sugar. It happened a while back… Maybe six months? I’d just started working here so that would make sense.” Jeongguk seems lost in his thoughts, busy reminiscing.

“She’s pretty good at remembering nowadays, but I hope she has one on her now” Tae frets.

“Wait, what? What happened? Where is she? How do you even know her?” Jeongguk turns protective of his childhood best friend despite their time spent apart, clutching his tail like a security blanket. 

“Taehyung-ssi is her boyfriend. They live together but she stormed out after a fight and didn’t come home last night. I found her diary so this was his first stop while looking for her.” Jin calms his agitated beau. 

“Well, I’m going to help of course, she’s my friend and I need to know she’s safe. If you’re her boyfriend, how do you not know where’d she go if she was upset?” Jeongguk’s tone is accusatory. 

Tae shoots him a glare “She doesn’t really talk about her past too much. And she’s never stormed out before so I have no clue where she’d go. That’s why I asked  _ you  _ for help.”

Jin sees the situation escalating and steps in again to calm down the younger boys.

“Let’s keep going through the diary, she’ll probably have something in there about where she might be.”

They flip through the pages of messily scrawled writing and little doodles, most things seem vapid. Small reminders of appointments or ‘To-Do’ lists. They come to a halt when a loose picture falls out of the diary, it’s of Yeontan and a man holding out flyers proudly, beaming smiles upon their faces. 

“Namjoon?” Taehyung says, mostly to himself. 

“Do you know him then?” Jeongguk asks, rather impatiently.

“Yeah, I’ve worked with him before. I illustrate children’s books and he writes them so we run the same circles. But I didn’t realise he knew Yeontan. He’s got a lot of money so I really can’t imagine him needing to hand out flyers either.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Phone him.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes, he’s just as impatient as Jeongguk he simply respects manners more. “Give me a second to breathe then”. 

Taehyung pulls out his phone, quickly dialling the number. “Namjoon hyung?” He asks the second the line picks up.

“Taehyung?” the man’s confused, and Taehyung can’t blame him. He’s never called him recreationally before, they’re close enough as colleagues but he wouldn’t label them friends.

“Hi, yeah, are you busy today?” he cuts to the chase.

“I mean, this is a little out of the blue, Taehyung. Can I ask what you want?”

Taehyung laughs a little nervously “Actually, it’s about my girlfriend.” He starts, before realising how that sounds “Um, I mean. Yeontan? You might know her as Winnie I don’t know, she’s gone missing and we just found a picture of you both together. Is she staying with you?” He asks directly.

“Oh, Winnie? Yeah, we were kind of close friends for a while, but she just disappeared one day and I haven’t really heard from her since. Was she okay before she went missing?”

“Yeah, we just had a really petty argument and- is there anyway we could meet in person? I don’t really want to talk about something this serious over the phone.”

“Sure man, this is important. Where are you? I’ll come meet you.”

“We’re at the hybrid shelter in the city near to central train station.”

“Cool, cool, I’ll head over in a second… Wait, who’s we?”

“It’s me, the owner of the shelter and one of her childhood friends at the moment.”

“Alright, are we putting together a search team or something?” He laughs nervously.

“Hopefully we won’t need one but the more people the better. We’re just brainstorming where she could be at the moment.” Taehyung admits. “It hasn’t been too long but still… she doesn’t have her purse, keys or phone on her so we’re worried.”

 

* * *

 

#  **The Author**

When Namjoon enters Jin’s office, the other three are still sat around the desk flipping through the pages of the diary.

“Joon hyung” Taehyung jumps up to greet the anxious owl hybrid, pupils blown wide against the yellow iris. “Thank you for coming.”

Namjoon smiles in a way he hopes is reassuring, before introducing himself to the other two men. “Hi, I’m Kim Namjoon, 24.”

“Ah, another Kim”  Seokjin smiles, extending a hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Seokjin. I’m 26 so you can call me hyung” he says smoothly.

Jeongguk purses his lips in jealousy “I’m Jeon Jeongguk. I’m 20.” he says stiffly.

Tae suddenly pipes up with a jeer “I knew it! I’m older than you, you brat!”

Jeongguk huffs, but smiles at Taehyung, “Alright, Taehyung hyung.”

Taehyung smiles victoriously “Thank you,  _ Kookie _ ” He teases to younger, Jeongguk scrunching his nose in distaste.

“Kookie babe, do you need to go eat something before we start?” Jin pipes up “You’re not you when you’re hungry. I even bought banana milk yesterday so we’re fully stocked.”

Namjoon coughs awkwardly, looking between the bristled Jeongguk and the other two men, “I think things are getting a little off course here, we need to be looking for Yeontan, don’t we?”

Namjoon’s words lighten the mood even as the youngest pulls a snickers out of a drawer in Jin’s desk. “I can start by telling you how I know Yeontan too and see if that helps?” He frowns slightly at the memory.

 

_ “Good morning sir!” a flyer is thrust in my face. “Can I interest you in-” _

_ “Sorry, but I’m not interested. Maybe next time.” I say with a smile as I start to walk away from her. I glance back over my shoulder, she seems defeated, sighing and dropping her arms down to her sides, when her grip loosens and the flyers escape from her hand. _

_ “Oh bother!” _

_ Even as people trample all over them, she keeps her head down and attempts to gather them together. I nervously check my watch but quickly decide to help, crouching down to help pick them up before they fly away. She gives me a grateful smile that stays ever present as I continue to help hand them out afterwards. When almost all of the flyers we have are gone, she turns to me with a inquisitive look on her face. _

_ “Why did you stay and help? You seemed to be in a rush and you really didn’t need to do this.” She smiles softly at me, taking the last of the flyers from my hands. _

_ “Oh, well, I was just heading to another publishing meeting and it wasn’t too important. Also, you looked like you could use some kindness today, this isn’t an easy job, I remember when I had to do it before I could start writing books.” I respond, trying to avoid eye contact. _

_ “I guess, it’s not fun but it’s just enough money to get by, and getting by is what I do.” She shrugs, starting to walk back towards the city centre. _

_ “What days do you work?” I ask suddenly, hoping I don’t come across as too creepy. _

_ “Ah, it’s zero hours so pretty much just when I get asked to. It’s strangely competitive” She frowns to herself slightly.  _

_ I nod in understanding “Well, I come around here a fair amount so if I see you around I’ll try and help out. Enjoy the rest of your day!” I run off towards the meeting that I’m probably a solid half hour late for already, watching over my shoulder. _

 

_ Fast forward a month and I’ve pretty much learnt Winnie’s entire schedule even though it’s supposedly random. I’ve also learnt why she’s having to face the draining situation almost on the daily. “My previous owner supported me through most of college but she was an older woman and sadly passed away in my final year. I was quite privileged growing up because I wasn’t actually aware of the societal pressure of being a hybrid, I never knew it would be so hard to find a job simply because of my ears and tail. And I have to make a living somehow, this was the only place that were hiring” She shrugs, melancholic “I can eat most of the time and afford a place to sleep at least. Problem is, they have the power to take my job away from me any time, and they don’t like to keep their workers for too long. It was meant to be a temporary job while I looked for something better but things are just looking pretty bleak at the moment”. _

 

Namjoon sighed “One day she stopped coming around and I guess that’s when she lost her job. I was worried, of course, but I never saw her again after that so couldn’t do much to help.”

“Wow. That was really good of you, Namjoon hyung. You didn’t have to help her out at all, but you did what you could to support her.” Jeongguk says, admiring him, gazing at him a little how he would an idol rapper. 

He nods at the joey uncomfortable with the praise. “So are there any other pictures in the diary?” He asks. 

The three men exchange glances as if they’d been stupid. “No?” Jeongguk offers weakly.

Taehyung picks up the diary and holds it upside down, leaving them all to watch the piece of paper that falls slowly to the desk. “You sure Kookie?” he offers sarcastically.

Jeongguk huffs, but he’s smiling with anticipation, “Come on old man, pick it up then, we’re still looking for noona aren’t we?”

Taehyung eagerly flips over the photo, the two men almost knocking heads as they lean in closer. “I don’t know who they are” He offers, seeing the three men huddled with Yeontan, two of which are beaming at the camera with her while the other sleepily leans his head upon her shoulder.

Jeongguk shakes his head “Me neither. It must have been during college, that’s when we fell out of touch. Namjoon hyung, anyone look familiar?” He asks.

The owl finally gets a chance to peek at the photo with Jin, cocking his head as he observes each face. “Yes!” he suddenly shouts, making the other three jump at his excitement. He blushes slightly in embarrassment before gesturing gingerly at the sleepy one. “Yoongi hyung. We went to high school together.”

Jin leans back in his chair “Are you still in touch with him?”

“Oh, uh- Not really? I still have his phone number if he hasn’t changed it, we can try that I guess.”

“Did you seriously keep all your contacts from high school?” Jeongguk stares at him disbelievingly. “I left high school the most recently and I can tell you now I’m in touch with like three people tops.”

Namjoon seems a little offended, “It was a different time, alright? I liked hanging out with Yoongi hyung, so I didn’t see why I should delete his number.”

Taehyung looks up at Namjoon “I think it’s a good thing hyung, never know when you need to network. It helped me find you after all.”

“Thanks, Tae.” He smiles warmly at the man, pulling up his contact list on his phone. “Here goes nothing I guess.” The owl holds the phone to his face, accidently knocking it into the spray of feathers that stand out behind his ear with a wince before reaching the intended destination. The line connects, “Hey, um, is this Yoongi hyung? This is Kim Namjoon, from high school.”

There’s a pause on the other side of the call, “Uh- Yeah, this is Yoongi… It’s been quite a while, what’s up man?”

“There’s kind of a situation in that an old friends gone missing, her name’s Winnie, and we just found a photo of you together. Do you remember her at all?”

“Of course I do, we were roommates in college. I mean, I haven’t heard from her in years so I don’t know if I’d be much help…”

“Well there’s some other people in the picture too, and I don’t know them but I’m guessing that you do. Sorry to bother you, but it could be a really big help.”

“Uh sure” He yawns into the phone “Um, where should I meet you?” He asks, words slow and accent thick.

“Do you know where the hybrid centre is in town? Wait, you still live here, right?” Namjoon asks, suddenly remembering how long it’s been since they last spoke.

“Yeah, it’s the capital city so makes most sense as a music producer” He states as though Namjoon was a bit stupid, something he certainly wasn’t. “I’ll be there in like half an hour.”

“See you in a bit.” As Namjoon hangs up he turns to look at the others again, “If he hasn’t changed then I’d give him about an hour, he always used to be late for things.”

“So how did you both become friends if you call him hyung? Surely you weren’t in the same school year” Taehyung inquires.

Namjoon’s demeanour becomes somewhat bashful, “It’s kind of a funny story… I- Uh- I used to smoke when I was younger, so I’d sneak out after class to take a smoke break and he did too.”

Taehyung suddenly laughs “I bet Yeontan hated that. I smoked for all of one day of knowing her before facing a week long silent treatment. She has to replace all of my cigarettes with lollies before I even figured out that’s what she was mad about”

Namjoon smiles fondly, “I didn’t know her very well, and I was kind of stopping smoking when we met anyway, but she really did help me stay away from it. I might not have given it up if she hadn’t given me the final encouragement.”

Jeongguk turns up his nose “A dirty habit.”

Jin tugs his tail in reprimand “It’s an addiction, Kookie” He reminds him “We care for all kinds of addicts here, stop being judgemental.”

The joey pouts at his boyfriend for embarrassing him in front of his hyungs but is also embarrassed by his own criticism. Wishing to change the situation, he suddenly turns to Taehyung. “We’ve told you how we know her, but how do you know Winnie?”

 

* * *

 

#  **The Artist**

_ I can’t believe I forgot to buy instant ramen, it’s literally a staple in my diet. I’d genuinely starve without them considering the only food I can cook is eggs or sandwiches. The store’s dead too, of course it is though, most competent people would be working at 2PM on a Wednesday. Just gotta get my ramen, and go, need to finish the illustrations for that Namjoon hyung’s book ASAP. Out of the corner of my eye I see her, shoving food from the shelves into her backpack, eyes trained on the guy working the cash register. I lick my teeth in contemplation, considering how much money I have in my account before waltzing over and snatching the bag from her, placing it at the register alongside my ramen. In the reflection of the security mirror I see her stalk out of the door but by the looks of her threadbare clothes and dirty hair, I feel like she won’t leave without it. I thank the cashier before following her out the door. She snatches the backpack from my hands upon sight and storms off without a word. I can’t seem to shake the feeling that she needs help, and also that she’s incredibly rude, so I storm after her and catch up enough that I can gently grab her wrist. “Yah!” she growls, turning to face me. _

_ I cock an eyebrow at her, not necessarily condescendingly but she seems to interpret it like that. She tries to wrench herself out of my grip, but I tighten it so that she can’t run off again. “Look, I know that you probably don’t want to talk to me, but I’m concerned about you… And I bought you that food, so you sort of owe me some kind of explanation, please.” _

_ There’s tears in her eyes despite her fierce gaze. “I didn’t ask you to buy me anything” She snaps. _

_ I falter slightly in my response, “Uh- Yeah, I know, I’m sorry for being demanding but I’m nosey and want to make sure that the girl who could’ve got caught stealing doesn’t end up in the same situation again.” _

_ She sniffles slightly as she turns away from me, suddenly turning to walk along the tracks to my concern. “Hey!” I shout again, this time reaching for her arm so it’s harder to shrug me off. “Please, just talk to me” _

_ “How do I know you’re not some creepy guy who’s looking to kill me or something?” She demands. _

_ “You don’t, and that’s why I’m not trying to drag you off to some unknown location. I don’t know if you’re going to try and kill me either, but I really do just want to make sure you’re okay… There’s this shelter just down the road, it’s for hybrids and if you don’t have anywhere to stay or anything to eat then it might be a good idea to check it out.” _

_ “I… don’t want to go there” Suddenly she turns shy, almost ashamed “Listen, thank you for buying me all this, it’ll really be a lot of help but there’s just not much out there for people like me” her tone is bitter as she speaks, her predicament making my heart clench in empathy.  _

_ “If you don’t want to say at the shelter… Do you want to maybe stay at my place for a little while? Just until you’re back on your feet or something. If it makes you more comfortable I could sleep at my parents but I’ll be around during the days because I work from home.” _

_ “Oh.” She seems entirely taken aback, her cheeks dusted pink. “That’s an amazing offer, but we literally know nothing about each other… You just watched me try to steal from a store, and you want to let me stay in your apartment unsupervised?” _

_ I sheepishly rub the back of my neck “Yeah… Maybe I didn’t think it through. Okay so I’ll probably sleep there too. But. Urgh, how can I make you trust me then? I really don’t like the idea of you staying out here, it’s meant to storm tonight.” _

_ “You’re very naively kind aren’t you? Didn’t we just talk about either of us being murderers?” She pauses, huffing, then looking me up and down before continuing. “I suppose that I can come with you, but just for tonight.” she warns.  _

_ I smile and take her hand, carefully guiding her away from the tracks and back towards my apartment. _

 

“Wait a second” Jin interrupts, staring at Taehyung with bewilderment. “You just let her stay in your house after catching her stealing? And she just agreed? You should have just taken her here! There’s countless numbers of hybrids who were as stupidly trusting of humans like you and end up-” He cuts himself off with a grim look.

Taehyung looks a little upset by the insinuation, “It probably wasn’t my smartest idea, but it turned out good for both of us. It’s not like I go around recommending it to others.” He ducks his head and quietly murmurs to himself “She looked friendly.”

 

_ “You can cook?” I ask in amazement. _

_ “You can’t?” she teases, snorting as she cuts up the vegetables for a stir fry. _

_ I splutter in embarrassment at her insult but leaves it because she’s right, simply returning to my given chore of setting the table instead. “I’m really glad that you chose to stay with me.” I smile slightly serenely “Home cooked meals every day.” _

_ “Yah, you brat, I’m only cooking for you because you’re incapable of doing it yourself. I can’t live of instant food even if you can!” Throwing a mischievous grin over her shoulder at me. I roll my eyes. But regardless, I’m privately glad her cheeks are starting to fill out, and that she unconsciously makes little happy car engine noises when things are going well. I think it’s adorable quite frankly. Because it turns out Yeontan is smart and funny and undeniably pretty. Which puts me in a rough spot. I kind of don’t want her to leave. _

 

Jin interrupts yet again. “... Car engine noises?” He asks, disbelief clear on his face.

The three other men exchange looks and almost seamlessly make the noise together, rolling their tongues and low and behold. It sounds much like a car engine that can’t start. 

“I’ve never met a bear hybrid” he mutters to himself, almost sounding jealous.

Namjoon laughs, “It’s kind of strange at first, but you get used to it. Like you’re just spending time together and then suddenly she’s making that noise, and you can tell she doesn’t know she’s doing it… I always used to tease her about it but it’s undeniably cute” he admits. 

Tae shoots him a suspicious glare before starting his story again.

 

_ After only a couple of months I fell in love with Yeontan. It was easy to do, so easy I didn’t really know it had happened until I almost admitted it to her without thinking. Everything about her is perfect, her smile, her kindness, her humour. She fills my apartment with warmth and joy, and I can’t remember my life before she arrived. I feel the need to tell her how I feel, but I also worry that it will scare her off. As we lounge on the sofa watching the Animal Planet special on sheep. “This Yixing guy is pretty cute...“ Yeontan trails off contently, picking up my hand to rub behind her ears. _

_ “I guess” I pout, ignoring the uncalled for flare of jealousy. The presenter of the next show pops up on the screen, “Ah I love Lions!” I suddenly shout, smiling as Jessi’s face fills the screen, the Queen of the jungle and one of my favorite idols. Yeontan lets out a low noise that sounds like a growl, when I turn to look at her, the bear’s ears are pinned to her head and she’s frowning deeply. “Noona?” I ask cautiously, trying not to flinch from her glare. An idiom my dad used to use comes to mind. Don’t poke the bear. _

_ “I just don’t like Jessi at all, I think she’s fake… And not pretty.” She pauses, then she turns on me, arms crossed and lips pouted. “Do you really like her?” _

_ “Uh- I mean she’s cool, and very talented- It’s not really fair to say she’s not pretty either.” I stumble over my words, unsure of what she’s wants from me. _

_ She seems to deflate, her ears raising back up and her pout fading, “I guess.” _

_ Something clicks, and I smile at Yeontan, “Noona, are you... jealous?” My tone is teasing. _

_ She suddenly puffs up again, but her cheeks flush, “No, why would I be jealous?” _

_ I shrug, “Dunno, just seemed like you were… It’s okay, I was kind of jealous when you said that guy was cute.” _

_ “Oh. I suppose I am sort of jealous… It’s um, a bear thing, just protective of people we care about.” _

_ I shuffle over and pull her into a crushing hug, “Sure thing, honey bear. Just because you care about me.”  I tease, ruffling her hair, she huffs but still snuggles into my chest slightly. “I care about you too” I murmur softly into her hair. _

 

Taehyung has a fond smile on his face as he reminisces about the start of their relationship, “The rest is history I guess, we were happily together until that stupid, petty argument last night. I mean we’re still together, I just need to find her and bring her home.” He corrects himself quickly. It’s at that moment that the door pretty much slams open.

“I’m so sorry I’m late! I missed my bus and then got on the wrong one” he scowls slightly to himself. “Just my luck” he grumbles.

Namjoon stands up and embraces Yoongi, who seems a little dazed still. “It’s great to see you man, this reminds me of the time when… actually literally every time you were late, but I still waited because I just liked hanging out with you.”

Yoongi’s face lights up in a dopey grin, “Thanks for noticing me” his smile turns shy, “Not many people did.”

Taehyung, Jeongguk and Seokjin all take turns to introduce themselves to Yoongi, who carefully greets them. “So where’s this picture I’m meant to be looking at? God, I hope it’s not as embarrassing as I think it is if it’s from my college years.”

“Here you go!” Jeongguk chimes in, handing the photograph over. “I hope you remember them, you guys are our last hope right now.”

The donkey hybrid spends a few moments considering the image with a measured calmness, then he looks up at Taehyung, tail swaying slightly, pink ribbon wrapped in a bow around the end. “I remember this, we took it in our room one night after we’d hung out together. These two, they um... They were on her dancing course, this one-” he points to the dorky boy with orange hair and a heart shaped smile, “He was her boyfriend for a while. Jung Hoseok.”

Taehyung scowls to himself slightly and then shakes it off. It’s before they even met. She just hopes she hadn’t gone to stay with him. “We should probably call him then, if you’ve got a way to contact him still?”

Yoongi considers something for a moment before responding, “I suppose so, that’s probably the best idea… I misplace things a lot, that’s just how it goes, but I think I have Hoseok’s number.” He scrolls through his phone for a moment, then places it to his ear. “It’s ringing- Oh, hey, hello.”

A confused voice sounds through the phone, “Hello?”

“Yes, hello.”

“Who is this?”

Yoongi looks somewhat surprised, then a hurried look takes over his face. “Sorry, this is Yoongi from college, I was Winnie’s roommate. We’re having a bit of a problem, she’s gone missing and we were wondering if you knew anything about where she could have gone?”

“Yoongi hyung...?” he contemplates it “Can you say something for me quickly?”

Yoongi frowns in confusion at what the playful boy had asked of him. “Uh. Sure?”

“Can you just say ‘Hop off’ for me quickly’”.

Yoongi stares at his phone as if contemplating throwing it. “...Winnie is missing. Hop off my nuts and get to the hybrid shelter, Tigger.” he hangs up, still incredulous.

Jin stares at him with a mortified expression, “Yoongi-ssi, why did you do that? We can’t be sure that he’s going to come and help us out now, and we really do need to find Winnie.”

The blue-black haired male stares, dead eyed at the elder kangaroo. “I said what he wanted me to. He’ll come.” He gloomily proclaims, holding up his phone where a text lays. TTFN. No-one questions it.

“I guess…” Jin contemplates. “But what if he doesn’t live in the city anymore? What if he doesn’t know about my shelter?”

“Everyone knows about your shelter. It’s the only hybrid shelter for miles.”

“I thought you were actually going to compliment me then.” Jin pouts.

“You’re handsome.” Yoongi returns monotonously.

Jeongguk laughs, “I like this hyung, he’s funny.” The comment earns him a gummy grin from the donkey hybrid, whose ears seem to perk up somewhat.

There’s a brief pause before Taehyung looks to Yoongi, “So… You guys were roommates then?”

 

* * *

 

#  **The Roommate**

_ “Eeyore you bore” Winnie whines, trying to tug me from my bed. _

_ I simply pull her down with me instead. “I refuse to go out and see people who don’t even like me” I proclaim tiredly. _

_ “Tigger likes you! Piglet’s just a little shy, and you’re not the most welcoming of people.” _

_ I groan, and roll over so that we’re facing, “Well, I appreciate the offer and the insult, but today is not really a day for going out.” _

_ “Then how about we stay in?” She suggests, sitting up excitedly. _

_ “I take this as you’ve already invited them round and I have no choice in the matter” I’m disappointed but not surprised. She winks. _

_ “You got it” _

_ I sigh and push her off the bed, clambering to my feet and ignoring her exclamation of “Oh bother!” She needs to get over her no swearing ban, it was getting quite ridiculous if you ask me. I perch myself on the window seat, reaching for the pack of cigarettes I keep in my cupboard and finding yet another bag of lollies in its place. “For fucks sake Winnie. First you steal my free time and now my cigarettes. This shit’s expensive.” _

_ “And that’s another reason why you should stop smoking then, it’s expensive, it’ll kill you, and it’s just downright gross. I have to live here too.” She chides me, now sat on the floor where she landed.  _

_ “Lollies will rot my teeth. You don’t see me criticising your sugar addiction which, when considering you’re diabetic, is way worse for you! You’ve finished three pots of honey just this week.” _

_ “Shove off loser. I’m not letting you smoke in the apartment, end of. If you want to be gross, go and do it somewhere I can’t stop you.” She sneers and sticks out her tongue at me. _

_ “How long have I got until your ‘friends’ show up then?” _

_ “About an hour and a half… Though Piglet will probably be a little early, you know how he gets.” _

_ I snort. “Yeah, and he just loves it when you baby him” I wink lecherously. _

_ “He doesn’t like me!” She whines. _

_ I give her a disbelieving look. He so does. “Keep telling yourself that… In fact, keep telling Tigger that.” Winnie suddenly sits down beside me, sitting is an overstatement, she practically falls against me, hitting me in the crotch in the process not that she notices. As I silently wheeze, she tries to be serious.  _

_ “I hope he doesn’t like me. Those two have been best friends since birth and I don’t want to get in the middle of that.” _

_ I mutter under my breath, “You could just stop being friends with either of them. That would work.” _

_ “Eeyore, please. Don’t bring it up tonight, they’re my friend and my boyfriend. They mean as much to me as you do, and they won’t start anything with you so just be nice.” _

_ “I’m not mean, God. I’m not going to instigate a fight or anything… I just won’t stop one if it’s entertaining.” She shoots me a dry look before we’re interrupted by a knock on the door. She points at me, growling out a warning “Be nice.” _

 

“That’s when the picture was taken” He shrugs. “And this boy was right” he brags slightly before the door slams open again. This time in less aggression but more a show of energy. 

“Consider yourselves pounced” The redheaded tiger hybrid teases upon his entrance, crouched in the doorway.

“I beg your pardon?” Jeongguk stares dumbly at the rather abrupt entrance of the… peculiar man.

He giggles though, ignoring the lack of a reaction “Because I’m a tiger. Get it?” He asks, his tail swaying dangerously behind him as he suddenly leaps on Yoongi. They both fall to the ground as Yoongi groans, crushed by the muscular boys weight. “Yoongi hyung! It’s been  _ ages _ .” He sings. Before Yoongi can even respond he looks up, remaining sat upon the man nonchalauntly “Hi everyone! I’m Hoseok but everyone calls me Tigger thanks to Winnie. That’s T-I-double-guh-er! that spells tigger!” he smiles proudly in a strangely childish way. He looks back down to Yoongi. “You’re just as cute as I remember you little grump” he coos, pinching at one of the donkey’s cheeks before being swatted away. 

“Get off!” Yoongi groans, rolling to sit upon Hoseok instead.

Taehyung and Jeongguk struggle not to react where there’s an obvious joke to be made, but feel reprimanded by Jin’s warning glance. But they’re beat to it by Hoseok who yet again flips himself on top of Yoongi with a wink. “Sorry, I prefer to top”.

There’s a beat of silence before the room erupts in laughter, Yoongi’s face glowing red.

Yoongi glares around the room “Guys remember why we’re all here please!” he shouts, trying to get the attention (And Hoseok) off him. It works as the mood sombers yet again. Hoseok heaves himself up to his feet and then pulls Yoongi up too, the older man brushing imaginary dirt off his ass. 

“Is that the picture?” he asks, immediately bouncing over to the desk. “We look so cute and small” he coos. “Yoongi your hair was still blue!” he laughs “And Jimin’s hair wasn’t pink” He cackles. “Oh I’ve already called Jimin by the way. He’ll be here soon.” he states as though asked. Everyone kind of stares at the whirlwind of energy who took over the room. “So who’s who?” He asks, looking around. 

Taehyung is the first to step forward. “Hi, I’m Kim Taehyung, Winnie’s current boyfriend.” 

Hoseok nods “Ah, the one who lost her.”

“Well you can’t lose an adult woman” Taehyung snaps. “She just doesn’t have any of her things on her, like her phone and her purse and maybe her insulin pen.”

Hoseok seems to brush off Tae’s comments with a simple imperative “Chill”, turning to Seokjin and Jeongguk, “A couple of other bouncy friends here, who are you two?”

Jeongguk rushes to introduce himself, “I’m Jeongguk, 20 years old, I’m Winnie’s childhood friend. And he’s Seokjin, my boyfriend, 26 and no relation to Winnie but he owns this shelter.”

“Ah, a sugar daddy. You’ve done well. And who’s this owl over here?” He asks, ignoring how Jin’s face goes red with indignation.

“I’m Namjoon” he shyly offers up “24 years old. I’m an author” He seems scared of whatever the tiger is about to say, lest it resemble his other comments. But he simply extends a hand to shake.

“We’re the same age” he smiles politely to everyone’s surprise.

“Tell them all how you met then” Yoongi sighs, waving a hand as though preparing for his dramatics.

 

* * *

 

#  **The Ex**

_ I survey the class of dance recruits in front of me with skepticism. “Name, age and prefered dance style” I demand, pointing to the first recruit.  _

_ She robotically bows “Angelina. 18. Interpretive.” I roll my eyes in response, she’s obviously made for a more disciplined dance style going by her stature. _

_ The next one chimes in, “Mark, 20, Street”. I try not to snort at the thought of that lanky boy trying to pull of the street swag needed for that. He works through all the other recruits, finishing with new names as he reaches the penultimate recruit. _

_ “Winnie. 21, you can call me noona” The girl winks cheekily, earning my attention “Hip Hop” She challenges. I quirk an eyebrow, impressed by her cockiness. _

_ “Alright then, that only leaves Jiminie. Introduce yourself to the other recruits.” _

_ My friends cheeks are as pink as his hair, his eyes don’t leave his feet on the floor as he stumbles out an introduction, “I’m uh- I’m Jimin, like Hobi hyung said… I’m 22, and well, I did my training in classical dance, so I um- Guess that’s my preference.” _

_ I clap my hands my hands together, accidentally startling Jimin (he is very… timid), and moving back to the front of the class to start the session properly. _

_ When everyone’s out of breath and drenched in sweat, I decide it’s a good time to end the class, “Thanks for the effort guys, you’ve really displayed your talents for dance. Now bounce.” Grinning, I watch the recruits walk out the door expecting just Jimin to remain, but she stays. Winnie. “You alright there? Need something from me?” _

_ She smiles at me, and I swear my whole chest warms up, “Yeah, I just thought it might be nice to get to know you guys better.” The little bear has a daring streak, and it does intrigue me “Especially you, dear.” She called me dear! _

_ I grin at her, “Sure thing baby bear, what do you want to know?” I stepped towards her, moving into her personal space. _

_ “Anything you want to tell me.” Her smirk provides a sense of challenge, a battle for dominance that I jump at. _

_ “Dangerous game to play here, the little baby bear and the big bad tiger.” I lower my tone, asserting my power, but it only seems to light a fire in her eyes. _

_ “I thought I told you to call me noona.” She teases right back. _

_ “Uh- uh- Guys…” We both startle at the reminder of Jimin’s presence. I feel the atmosphere cool off instantly, laughing to lighten the mood. _

_ “Sorry Jiminie.” I wrap my arm around him, pulling him in close and ruffling his hair between his cute little pink ears, “Should we all go out to eat together? Some quality bonding time.” _

 

“So, you guys basically got it on in front of your friend? What the hell?” Yoongi murmurs, disgruntled by the graphic nature of the story.

“Well as Jiminie says, it’s so much more friendly with two” He winks at the kangaroo couple, both of whom seem taken aback but flustered.

Jeongguk and Taehyung instantly eye him wearily. 

“So why did you break up if you seemingly had such great chemistry?” Jeongguk asks, getting a poke in the side from Taehyung who doesn’t particularly want to hear the answer if it’s following those lines.

“It’s kind of complicated.” Hoseok replies. “It might sound better coming from Jiminie.”

This time when the door opens, it’s not with a bang nor a wallop but a mere creak. In the doorway stands a bashful yet captivating, small pig hybrid. He edges into the room, and when his eyes land on Hoseok he seems reassured somewhat.

“Hobi hyung!” he shuffles over to his side, almost tripping over the rug, before bowing respectfully to the other men. “Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jimin, I’m 22 and a Libra.”

“Lovely to meet you too, Jimin, your hair’s a really nice colour.” Jin comments, offering him a welcoming smile.

“We’re the same age!” Taehyung smiles “I’m Taehyung. It’s nice to meet you. I like your hair too, it looks like cotton candy!”

“Alright, I didn’t get  _ any  _ compliments when I came in.” Yoongi scowls. 

“You’re handsome.” Jin deadpans.

“This is hilarious.” Jeongguk says under his breath watching the exchange between the two oldest as Hoseok cackles at the exchange like some mischievous deity.

“Yet you got all jealous because I wanted my girlfriends diary from Jin hyung.” Tae teases. “Does this mean you think  _ I’m  _ pretty too?” He flutters his eyelashes, making the younger boy blush, crossing his arms with a huff of indignation. He doesn’t deny it. Jin whacks him.

“What has this turned into?” Namjoon wonders aloud. He turns to Jimin, giving the nervous pig a reassuring smile. “Jimin, my name’s Namjoon but you can call me Hyung, we were wondering if you’ve been in contact with Winnie recently?” He asks.

“Oh… Well… I haven’t really spoken to her since-” He glances up at Hoseok, and then looks back to Namjoon. “I haven’t seen Winnie since before we graduated college.” He seems to correct himself. The others snap to attention at this slip up. “Oh, d-d-d-dear. Did I say something wrong?”

“Of course not, Jiminie. We’re all just worried because Winnie noona’s gone missing, and she will be okay, but we need to find her and make sure she has everything she needs. It would be really helpful to everyone if you told the story of how we all stopped being friends?” Hoseok comforts the boy with a hand on his shoulder, talking to him steadily and without any of the humour normally found in his voice.

“Are you sure?” Jimin seems unconvinced, reluctant.

“Please.” Taehyung responds.

 

* * *

 

#  **The Admirer**

_ One of the new dancers is really cute. I noticed her immediately. With a fluffy pair of ears and small wriggly tail sticking out of her dance shorts, she’s adorable. I’ve always had a soft spot for cute things. When she first came to class, she seemed to like Hoseok a lot, and then they started dating. I thought that maybe I wouldn’t like her as much once I saw the two of them happy together, but it didn’t happen. In fact despite their crude comments, as a couple they were quite adorable. Winnie loved giving her boyfriend little baked goods as a surprise and she absolutely adored snuggles, using me as a substitute while waiting for Tigger. It made my heart beat almost cleanly out of my chest. She has this aura around her that calms me immediately and she makes me almost feel… brave. When she needs me to take out a bug or to reassure her that no demons are in the dark. Or when she calls me after a nightmare. And I realise quite how greedy that actually is of me. Tigger is as close to family as I have and here I am, wanting the woman he loves. I feel a bit sick with myself but I can’t help how I feel. So I try and distance myself from the situation instead. Which results in me, here, alone, in the dance studio at night practicing the routines where I don’t have to think about Winnie. Maybe more people would like me if I was less timid, if I was less ‘Little Piglet’ and more the confident Jimin I am when I dance, with bold hip thrusts and a cocky edge as I remove my shirt, sly smile adorning my face. It’s a night like that, when I’m pushing the restrictions on explicit dancing that Winnie walks in to find me. She stands at the door for a moment, smile growing on her face as she wolf whistles loudly. And maybe my alter ego takes over a little, as I simply beckon her over to join, sweaty and half aroused. Winnie doesn’t hesitate, grinning as she steps close to me and integrates herself into the show seamlessly. This goes on for a minute, the suggestive tones of the Weeknd echoing around the dark room. But then I took it a touch too far. I put my hands on Winnie’s waist, pulling her back to me and she instantly freezes in my hold. “Jimin” She warns, no nickname to be used.  _

_ “What?” I ask, adrenaline still coursing through my veins from the high of dancing. “Wasn’t that okay?” The music comes to an abrupt end, and I snap out of it. “I’m sorry, Winnie noona, I didn’t mean to go that far. I just got lost in the music, I promise.” She shoves my hands off her as the lights suddenly flicker on, announcing someone else's presence; but in the process knocks us both off balance, being too close together in the first place, and we both fall smack on the floor, a tangle of limbs. Fire shoots up my arm and I gasp at the sensation. The pain concentrates in my wrist, rapidly becoming unbearable. I must have landed on it funny. I look over to see Winnie clutching her ankle, whimpering. _

_ “Noona!” Hoseok’s voice booms out and I feel a spike of fear at the situation he found us in.  _

_ “Hy-hy-Hyung” I gasp out but he silences me with an animalistic snarl, something I’ve never been on the receiving end of from him in my life. I shrink back feeling intimidated, unable to help my submissive response as a creature of prey. _

_ “I’ll deal with you later. Winnie noona, I’ll take you to the hospital.” He coos, scooping his girlfriend up in his arms and leaving me sprawled on the floor as he rushes out. I didn’t know where he wants to meet me but honestly I don’t necessarily want to see him either. I’m… scared. The fact he’s a predator hasn’t even occurred to me since I first met him because he’s so bouncy and goofy. So I take the chicken’s route, taking myself to the off campus hospital instead of the one he surely took Winnie to. My arms broken, sods law, maybe I deserve it. _

 

“Wait… So how did you guys break up then?” Jeongguk impatiently interrupts.

“It was a pretty simple choice to make, completely rational. The three of us couldn’t stay as we were, it was hurting Jimin and seeing that was upsetting me and Winnie noona. So once I’d taken her to the hospital and I knew she was okay, I ended it with her, and went to find Jiminie and explain the situation.” Hoseok shrugs nonchalantly, as if their break meant nothing more than a logical resolution. The men stare at him. 

“You made that sound like you went and beat Jimin up in an alley somewhere for touching your woman” Taehyung states like it’s obvious. Jeongguk snorts.

Jimin pales at the topic, “N-N-No, Hoseokie hyung would never do that to me… Not even after what I did wrong.”

Hoseok pulls the piglet closer to his side, “You didn’t do anything wrong buddy, you can’t help how you felt about her. And you shouldn’t have been so nervous, I wasn’t  _ that  _ intimidating. It was barely even a warning growl” he dismisses.

Jimin giggles slightly, “You know how I get, hyung- Just a little afraid of a lot of things.” Taehyung catches the little blush that passes across Namjoon’s ears and smirks but refrains from saying anything. He too always had a soft spot for cute things.

“So- Uh, guys?” Namjoon interrupts, still seeming somewhat bashful when his eyes lock with Jimin. “Winnie’s still missing, so we should probably split up and look for her?” He’s met with silence, “Just a suggestion.”

Taehyung stands up, “Sounds like a fantastic idea, hyung.” He surveys the room briefly. “How about everyone goes and checks where they used to go with her. So Yoongi and Hoseok you guys go and check out the college and dance studio. Jimin why don’t you go with Namjoon to where she used to hand out flyers.” He surveys the remaining couple but before he can speak up, Jin takes charge.

“I’ll need to stay here to run the shelter, and there’s a chance Winnie will come here anyway. Gukkie I’ll give you paid leave if you go back to Tae’s place and wait for her there. I’ll set up a group chat for if anyone finds her so we’ll know to stop looking.” he looks up expectantly. “What are your numbers?”

 

* * *

 

#  **The Search:**

* * *

##  _The Quiet Ones_ **.**

The wind ruffles Namjoon’s feathers as he makes his way across the bridge, accompanied by the small, shy piglet. With his hands in his pockets, he thinks about how to make it a little less awkward between them than the current stiff silence. “You and Hoseok being close is rather surprising. You’re definitely very different people”. He speaks softly, non judgmentally.

Jimin flits his eyes towards the taller man. “Um, yeah. He kind of just… picked me when we were younger you could say. Um” Jimin licks his dry lips and tries to subtly practice his breathing exercises as to not embarrass himself in front of an attractive man who is obviously trying to make an effort. “When I was a toddler, Hoseok Hyung moved into the house next to mine and I was terrified of him.” He admits. “But because I was the first person his age he’d met in the area, we became close friends. He would always sneak into my room at night because he knew I was scared of the dark, and it reached a point where my parents just gave him a key to our house”.

Namjoon laughs softly, internally cooing at how adorable he looks with his cheeks flushed red like that, he doesn’t want to scare him off, knowing his usual approach may be a bit too formal. Instead, subtlety will go a long way. 

“You kind of balance eachother out.” He muses out loud, seeing Jimin furiously nod his head in agreement.

“Yes!” He blushes further at his own enthusiasm. “I mean, he sometimes takes things a little too far and gets himself in a spot of bother. If he actually decides to listen to me then I’d like to say I bring out what little sanity he exhibits.” He chuckles slightly, smile broadening and eyes turning to happy crescents as Namjoon laughs along.

“It must be nice to have someone you’re so close with around.” He muses. 

Jimin ponders this. “Well, yes and no.” He admits. When Namjoon sends him a questioning look, he stutters out an explanation. “W-well. Um it’s just, sometimes he knows me a little too well.” He admits shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not nervous around him. In fact, I could sometimes rival him for energy! But sometimes he forgets that I’m not as comfortable in social settings and expects too much of me, putting me in uncomfortable situations.” Jimin feels bad for bad-mouthing his best friend, it’s not meant in a nasty way, he knows that his tiger friend would never intentionally do that. But he’s both surprised and glad to see that Namjoon interpreted it the way he meant. 

“I can see that, but I feel like he’s also good at protecting you from situations most of the time. He’s quite the attention stealer, it’s rare to find someone with constant stage presence in everyday life.” Namjoon grins, again without malice. Jimin’s heart flip flops in his chest.

“Exactly! It’s a nice cover.” He admits joyfully, voice louder than usual. Namjoon just shoots him a fond smile, dimples popping out and making him instantly more approachable.

“I used to be quite nervous.” Namjoon suddenly admits. “When I was a teen that is. People didn’t really want to talk to me too often and I was quite comfortable in my own company so I never really developed the social skills I needed, but it gets lonely. I think that’s why I made such good friends with Winnie.” He admits. “Handing out flyers with her meant I had to talk to a lot of people and honestly faced constant rudeness and rejection. But it was the shove I needed. Since then when making book proposals to publishers and going to readings and signings I’m much less nervous because I practically immunised myself against hostility. I don’t take rejection anywhere near as personally as I used to. And it really helped my career.” He turns to the younger boy who’s looking up at him the same way the children he reads to do.

“Do you think it really helped?” He asks earnestly.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it would help many people to be thrown in the deep end like that, but it certainly helped me.” He stops at the bench they used to eat shop bought dinner from after work and guides the smaller boy to sit beside him. “Do you still dance?” he asks, wanting to keep the conversation rolling now that Jimin seems more comfortable.

“I really love dancing” He starts, feeling slightly pained. “But at the moment I’m actually just doing a delivery job.” He looks down at his feet, which Hoseok calls his trotters, following their experimental participation in a classical dance class where Jimin foxtrotted with many a halmeoni. “Hoseok does. He’s a backup dancer who works with some really big name idol groups! He’s got his own little cult following.” He giggles. “I’d love to dance but I’m not sure that sort of life would be enjoyable for me. It’s much too glamorous.” He tips his head back towards the sun, wind playing with his hair as he sits blissfully unaware of the intense gaze that Namjoon sends his way. “I think I’d prefer to teach classes. I feel like it would be satisfying to make something of nothing and be able to see other people's confidence grow. It might even help me out a little.” Jimin grins slightly to himself before catching himself with a jolt, realising that he’s currently outside with a near stranger. Namjoon catches sight of his pout and takes charge once more in order to make Jimin comfortable.

“Well it’s clear that Winnie’s not here. How about we go check out a nearby cafe, who knows, she might have stopped off for a drink or something.” The look he shoots Jimin is expectant.

Jimin pauses for a second. It’s obvious that this is an invitation for the two of them to spend time together, but Jimin is usually hesitant when it comes to interacting with new people. The amount of ease that Namjoon’s presence brings Jimin is almost dizzying, and he takes a second to question whether he should maintain his distance to avoid a potentially terrifying situation or whether he should follow his gut and go with the spark between them. With a deep breath, he stands, hiding his shaking hands behind his back. 

“I could really do with a hot chocolate right now.” He manages to utter playfully with no ounce of a stutter.

Namjoon looks positively delighted, springing to his feel with almost dorky enthusiasm. “I know a really nice place down the road…”

 

* * *

 

##  _ The Opposites. _

Arriving on to the university campus after a quiet ride, Hoseok instantly starts to bounce in the direction of his old dance studio, but Yoongi’s voice stops him in his tracks. “Whoa, why do think we’re going there first?”

“Well you didn’t speak to me the whole ride over.” He pouts. “You just sat there on your phone and ignored me, it was like when we first met.”

“Yeah well it’s been a while.” Yoongi responds, suddenly avoiding eye contact. What he misses is how this only seems to excite the tiger, as if he accepts the challenge of having to earn the other man’s attention.

He bounds up to Yoongi, getting straight into his personal space. “Okay then, Eeyore-hyung. Where do  _ you _ want to go first?”

The nickname seems to have an effect on him, causing him to look at the ground and scuff his feet. “Let’s just go back to the dorm first and then circle back to the dance studio, Tigger.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” A grin overwhelms his features, and instinctively he grabs the older man’s hand.

“Gosh, don’t get so excited.” He mumbles, allowing himself to be dragged along. When they reach the dorm rooms, Yoongi is apprehensive to wander into the building without permission, but Hoseok pushes onward without a second thought. As Hoseok wanders to the reception of the building, Yoongi catches sight of the old room, and a wave of nostalgia washes over him as he remembers all of the good times he spent alone in those rooms. “I’ve missed this place, I could be so alone here and no one would bother me, but Winnie of course.” The comment makes Hoseok look over his shoulder, but before he can speak a woman comes out to man the desk.

“Can I help you, sir?” She asks politely, looking between the two men.

“Yeah, we’re alumni and there’s this whole thing going on with our friend and- Anyway, that’s not important. Have you seen a bear hybrid come in here at all in the past day?” He questions, glancing back at Yoongi who still hasn’t moved to join him, making him anxious to finish up here.

“There are a few bear hybrids living here, but I can’t really disclose that information to you, sir.” She smiles politely.

“Oh, no, she doesn’t live here but she might have come back here. Y’know, memories and all that.” His voice is warm and friendly, trying to charm answers out of the woman.

“There hasn’t been anyone in the building who isn’t a registered student or a family member in this building since a few days ago.”

“Thanks then.” He offers this as a goodbye, and quickly turns his attention back to his friend, moving to stand beside him. “Hyung, let’s go check the dance studio now.” His tone is still upbeat, but there is a mild feeling of concern. He knows how Yoongi used to get, when he would shut himself away in his bedroom for days and not letting anyone in, not even Winnie.

“Oh, sure.” He states absent mindedly, finally pulling his eyes from the door to face Hoseok.

“You alright there?” He asks, casually starting to guide Yoongi outside of the building and towards the dance studios.

“Mhmm. Just thinking about how much privacy I got back there, I never had to see anyone if I didn’t want to.” He mumbles, gradually returning back to his normal (but still subdued self).

“But you loved having Winnie around, didn’t you?” Hoseok questions.

“Yeah, of course. She made it easier on the hard days, I guess.” He awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, trying to neutralise the rather private topic.

“That why you didn’t like me coming around? Wanted her to yourself?” Hoseok supplies with a chuckle, attempting to lighten the conversation.

Yoongi stutters out a slight laugh. “No, you’re just annoying.”

Hoseok mimes as if his heart is in pain, hunching over his knees with his hand pressed to his chest. “How you wound me, hyung. I thought we were besties.” This earns a more genuine laugh from the other, and they continue to walk in a peaceful silence for a while. “Hyung.”

The serious tone of his voice makes Yoongi falter for a moment. “What?” He responds simply.

“We were friends right? We  _ are _ friends, right?” His eyes look somewhat pleading, and for once he’s vulnerable.

The donkey nods slowly, a smile spreading across his face as he places a comforting hand on Hoseok’s shoulder. “Of course, Tigger. I liked having you around, it brought me out of my comfort zone, and you guys could be fun.”

Hoseok returns the soft smile. “I liked spending time with you, but it seemed like you never wanted me around. Thought you were in love with Winnie or something and hated me because we were dating.” The two enter the studios to find them empty. Hobi turns on the lights and begins to look into each of the separate practice rooms.

Yoongi scoffs at his comment. “You’re quite off the mark there.”

“Hey, Winnie’s cute and you guys were super close, it was a fair assumption.” Even though he can’t see the tiger’s face, he can hear the pout in his voice and it makes him smile.

“I was kind of jealous I guess… I was kind of trying to deal with the fact that I thought you were cute and a great person, and when I realise I liked you, I didn’t want to see you and do something dumb and upset Winnie. That’s life I guess. People don’t ever really know how I feel.” He shrugs as he looks into a small room even though he knows no one can see the motion, but when he turns around he’s surprised to see Hoseok stood right there. The look on his face is scandalised. “What’s wrong? Did you find her?”

“ _You liked me_ _and you kept it a secret_.” He states more than asks, making Yoongi laugh as he realises that Hoseok’s upset.

“Yeah, it’s not like you liked me back and you were already with Winnie, so…” He answers, seemingly unfazed by his admission.

“Why didn’t you just tell me? It would have been easy, you could have just done it and gotten it out in the open.” Hoseok whines, stomping his feet half heartedly.

“Hey, we can’t all and some of us don’t.That’s all there is to it.” He moves on to the next room, and Hoseok follows behind him, still whining.

“But I wanted to know.” He protests.

“Why?” Yoongi laughs, not sure what else to do.

“Because then maybe things would have been different. Maybe I would have figured out that I liked you before we stopped talking. I only knew when me and Winnie broke up, and I missed having an excuse to see you.” 

“Well I wouldn’t have wanted to see you after you broke up with her.” Yoongi mocks, making Hoseok pout deeper.

“Hyung. You’re so mean to me. Everyone else likes me, they think I’m fun.” Hoseok steps closer to Yoongi, almost caging him in against the wall.

“Hobi, you broke up with my best friend and she was sad about it. I still like you- I don’t mean like that though.” He flushes a deep red, his normally slow pace of speaking becoming more frantic. “I mean, I like you as a friend. Gosh, let me get past.”

Hoseok takes on a smirk, keeping his hyung boxed in, and getting even further into his personal space. “Winnie’s really not here, so we have to wait for one of the others to find her, so why not… Get to know each other again?”

“Hoseokkie.” It’s Yoongi’s turn to whine. “I got over you, I promise. Don’t play with me just because it’s funny to watch me squirm.”

“You always say ‘Thanks for noticing me’, but I always noticed you, (I’m not senpai) , just didn’t know I liked you until it was too late and things were a bit of a mess.”

He searches the tiger hybrid’s eyes for honesty, and is surprised to find the serious look that had appeared so often during this outing. “You sure about this? I’m nothing special, and you’re- You’re a lot. Everyone likes you, you could probably do a lot better.”

“Yoongi. You’re special to me, my cute little hyung, so soft and loving. Oh, and you’re talented, I’ve seen you play the piano and listened to music you write. I’d be lucky to even go on a date with you, so…” He holds out his palm, allowing Yoongi to offer his own hand.

“Only if you’re not going to be that gross about this all the time.” His harsh words contrast his glowing smile, and he eagerly takes hold of Hoseok’s hand.

He tilts his head, considering his next move. “We should probably head back to the shelter for now, but we’re definitely going on a date  _ soon _ .” Yoongi nods. “Cool, let’s bounce then.” As he says this he leans in close to peck Yoongi’s lips, and as he tries to pull away Yoongi pulls him back in for a deeper kiss, but as they both begin to smile it becomes teeth on teeth. They break apart as Hoseok starts to giggle. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” The pair end up sidetracked, not returning to the shelter as prompt as intended.

 

* * *

 

##  _ The Rivals. _

“Why exactly was I bringing you with me again?” Tae asks Jeongguk as they walk in awkward silence towards Tae’s car. 

Jeongguk shrugs “Knowing Jin it’ll be because he has some ulterior motive, it would have made more sense for me to stay because I know what she looks like  _ and  _ she’s expecting me to be there if she goes”. Taehyung nods, opening the car for the younger before going over to the drivers side without really thinking about it. 

“But you still went with me.” Tae states.

“Yeah, I trust Jin to know what he’s doing. And only because of him will I  _ try  _ to be nice at least.” He huffs, stroppy like a child and appearing more reluctant than he actually is. Tae has a lot of experience with this sort of behaviour, him and Winnie obviously share a few traits.

“Can I ask why exactly you have it out for me?” Tae whines, pulling out of the car park.

“You lost Winnie.” Jeongguk cries, crossing his arms.

“How can I lose a fully grown woman! We had a petty argument, which I’m sure you’ve  _ never  _ had with Jin.” He scoffs

“I haven’t!” Jeongguk replies, smug look fading to irritation once more as Tae begins to laugh.

“Get ready kid.” He quips. “One day you’ll say you don’t know where the remote is and they’ll just flip.” He laughs slightly at the memory. “I thought she was going to dump me right then and there, we’d never fought in the month we’d been dating.” 

Jeongguk’s eyes lose their fire as he becomes nostalgic all of a sudden “God, Winnie gave me the silent treatment for a whole week once because I refused to swap my honey cake for her angel cake. It might have been the longest we’d gone without speaking at that point.” 

Tae laughs in surprise, not minding that Jeongguk is still keeping up his cold front, his honey bear is his favorite subject. “I’ve never met anyone as obsessed with honey as Yeonttannie in my life.” He snickers, Jeongguk nodding in agreement. 

This time as they cease to talk, the silence isn’t quite as awkward. Instead they quietly hum along to the radio, playing Big Bang’s ‘ _ If You _ ’. 

Taehyung pulls up to their apartment car park, silently guiding Jeongguk to the third floor where he lives. “Sorry if it’s messy, I didn’t clean up before I left.” He admits, kicking off his shoes. “Honey?” Taehyung wanders further into the apartment, leaving Jeongguk to observe his surroundings. Just from entering the front door you can tell this is more of a home than a house, the first thing you’re greeted with being a picture of Taehyung hugging the small bear to himself with a beaming rectangular smile. The floor is littered with their shoes rather than organised in the shoe cupboard, and there’s a dresser holding a bowl with the most random of objects placed for emptying pockets presumably; including but not limited to a whole load of lollies, a plushy bee the size of his first and a finger puppet glove. Jeongguk finds himself wondering about the infantile contents when they don’t have a child. Do they have a child? No, he couldn’t have missed that. But regardless, you can tell when there’s love in a household and all of a sudden Jeongguk feels a slight wave of guilt for how he’d been treating the human, perhaps being a result of his own slight prejudice against non-hybrids who had caused him so many problems in the past. If Winnie knew, and still if she finds out, he’ll probably get a swift knock about the head in punishment. 

“Taehyung hyung?” Jeongguk walks further into the apartment to see Taehyung cleaning up dirty dishes, no sign of Winnie. 

He hums to indicate he’s listening.

“What’s your job?” He asks. Taehyung glances back with a raised eyebrow, probably wondering as to the sudden change in attitude towards him. 

“I illustrate books, mostly children’s books. It’s how me and Namjoon hyung know each other, I illustrate his books, he was actually my first client.” He informs him, tone curious. “What’s with the sudden line of questioning?”

“I was wondering about what’s in the bowl at the door honestly. I assumed you worked with kids.” Jeongguk admits his nosy nature. But luckily Taehyung just emits an ‘ah’ of understanding, looking amused.

“Our neighbor has a kid, he truly is the most rude, nosey neighbor of all. But his little blonde kitten is the cutest bunny you’ll ever see, she’s called Yein. We babysit for him sometimes and she always leaves things. Tannie has a sneaky suspicion that it’s so she can come back.”

“That’s cute.” Jeongguk admits, slightly awkward. “Whenever we have kids in the shelter, Jin doesn’t know what to do with himself. He was an only child who was homeschooled so he’s never really been around them. It’s the most adorable thing.” Jeongguk’s smile is full force as he thinks about his boyfriend. 

“This might be out of nowhere but I know you’d probably like to hear about it.” Taehyung suddenly springs up. “Do you know what Winnie studied in University?” He asks. Jeongguk shakes his head. “She studied to be a primary teacher. But she’s having a lot of trouble finding work because people don’t seem to trust that a hybrid can take care of humans too.” Taehyung rolls his eyes, “I’m sure she’d be happy to help if you need extra daycare provisions in the shelter.” Taehyung shyly offers, he knows that the humble little bear wouldn’t talk herself up easily, and he was all too happy to be her own personal hype-man.

Jeongguk ponders this, eyes growing wide as he thinks. “That’s actually something that Jin’s been bringing up lately, most ownerless hybrids struggle financially and so an affordable daycare targeted towards hybrids are in high demand. Especially with staff who can handle the more animalistic tendencies of hybrid children. I’ll bring it up with him later.” He promises. Taehyung squeezes the youngers arm in thanks, shooting him a wide smile.

“Would you like a cup of tea while we wait to hear back from the others?” Taehyung asks, suddenly remembering his manners.

“Yea-” They’re cut off as both of their phones beep simultaneously, the two men dropping what they’re doing immediately.

“She’s at the shelter.” Jeongguk is two steps behind Taehyung who’s already marching towards the door.

 

* * *

 

##  _ The New Friends. _

As Jin makes his way to the dining hall to check on his residents, he notes only one new arrival. They must have turned up in the night, they’re the only guests that he doesn’t introduce himself to upon entry. He does his rounds of ‘ _ Good Morning! _ ’s before ending up on the girls table. “Good morning! You must have come last night, my name’s Seokjin and I run this shelter. It’s nice to meet you!”. The girl startles before looking up with a smile and he can’t help but curse his - and the whole groups' - stupidity. He had put off his actual work earlier but if he  _ or  _ Jeongguk had looked at the records like they were supposed to then they would have all seen one new name on their list of residency.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lee Yeontan.” She stands to bow and  _ yep that’s definitely the girl from the pictures.  _ He feels a secondhand wave of affection for the girl his boyfriend grew up with. Her hair is ombréd from black to blonde and is as messy as anything, showing that she’s run her hands through it many times through the night. Despite her rather strange combination of large ears, strangely fierce eyebrows (Her and Tae have that in common) and slightly shorter, chubby frame, she was undeniably adorable. She gives Jimin a run for his money on that front. But despite the warm smile on her face, he can’t ignore the dark bags under her eyes.

Jin glances down to her almost empty tray of food. “If you’re not busy would you be able to come to my office once you’ve finished eating? It’s just to the left of the reception, you can’t miss it. I like to talk to all my patrons no matter how short or long they’re planning on staying.” Jin stands without giving her a chance to answer, a technique he’d picked up on after a few unwilling patrons had left him hanging. And sure enough, five minutes later there’s a knock on his door. “Come in!” He calls, smoothing out his hair, having texted the fellow idiots that Winnie was actually under their noses the whole time. 

Winnie walks in nervously, tugging on the hem of her red top just to have something to do as she seats herself across from him. 

“Don’t be so on edge.” Jin laughs “You don’t have to answer any of my questions if you don’t want to.” Yeontan nods her consent, waiting for Jin to start talking. Jin scans through the information she’d already filled in when checking in to the shelter.

“Okay, Yeontan, can you tell me why you decided to come to the shelter?” He asks, slipping his glasses on so he can use his computer to file her answers.

She twiddles her thumbs, “I came for Jeongguk.” She answers honestly. “Is he here?” She looks around like a meerkat rather than a bear.

Jin shakes his head “Not yet but he’s on his way.” He promises. “Would you mind telling me about your home situation? Do you have any problems there?” Jin questions, not necessarily to snake Taehyung out but it’s a question he must ask and should she raise concerns, he wants to help.

But to his relief she shakes her head, almost violently. “Oh goodness no! I live with my boyfriend Taehyung. I love him more than honey.” She must not realise how peculiar that phrase is but he lets it slide.

“Okay so if that’s the case then why did you come to the shelter? Was there an issue which meant you couldn’t stay at your home?” He asks, checking to see that her story aligns with Tae’s.

“Okay so we had this argument and Taehyung said something that I may have blown out of proportion and effectively accused him of being a terrible person.” She groans, burying her head in her hands dramatically. “I was embarrassed and didn’t know how to apologise, so I didn’t want to go home until I thought of how to make it up to him. I left my phone at home but don’t have the contact details for many people anyway, so I thought I’d try and find Kookie instead so he could give me some advice. He’s strangely rational when he wants to be.” She pulls a face as though wanting to tease him for it, but not second hand to a stranger. “Anyway, I needed to go somewhere that I had access to insulin so I thought I’d best check in to the shelter whilst I waited.” She admits. Jin hums to show his attention as he summerises her notes as effectively not needing any further help.

“Well Jeongguk isn’t here yet but he tells me I give good advice, is it anything I could help you with?” He asks, putting his glasses back down and blinking hard to adjust his eyes.

“Are you and Jeongguk close? You remind me of him a bit. I call him Roo, you’re almost like the Kanga to his Roo.” She giggles, dumbly but sweetly. Jin’s slightly enamoured, wanting to mother the younger girl.

“You can call me Kanga.” He laughs slightly, “Is there a nickname that you prefer?”

“Well my old friends used to call me Winnie.” She shrugs. “But it’s been a while since anyone’s called me that. I got Tae to call me Yeontan because I thought he was cute and I wanted him to take me seriously, but now I just like that he calls me something different to everyone else. I think he does too.” She muses before shaking her head as though to clear it. “But what I meant is  _ yes,  _ call me Winnie.” Her eyes light up, Jin almost visualising the light bulb above her head. “So how do you know Roo? Well, obviously you’re co-workers but whatever. You’re just his type.” She squeaks and covers her mouth, obviously realising that as Jin’s his boss then it may be inappropriate to mention. Jin almost rolls his eyes but can’t help but laugh at her fast paced, slightly stumbling speech. 

“Yes me and Roo are close.” He vaguely discloses, feeling like Jeongguk would prefer to tell her about it. She pouts at the empty answer so Jin goes to distract her once again, this being useless as the door opens at that point with a slightly ruffled Yoongi and Hoseok appearing.

“Hey Jin hyung we- Winnie!” Hoseok practically flies to suffocate his ex in a hug. “It’s been gosh darn years.” He fusses over her, and Yoongi takes this opportunity to step into the room more subtly. Of course that doesn’t matter because Hoseok almost instantly wraps him into the  _ incredibly  _ tight hug. “Just like the old days.” He coos.

“Yah, did neither of you read the text I sent you?” Jin reprimands, honestly just being slightly jealous of the group hug he’s not involved in.

“No. But we’re here though, so it’s all Gucci.” He scoffs, finally releasing the two in his arms. 

“Whoa, did you both come in here together?” Winnie teases, still surprised at her old friends reappearance in her life. Yoongi blushes slightly, about to answer before being practically tackled to the floor by Winnie.

“Yoongi I am so sorry! I was really embarrassed when we missed the deadline for the deposit and I knew it was going to probably end up costing you more to live with me and I didn’t want to be a burden-”

Yoongi cuts off her rambling with a rare gummy smile, “Winnie that was years ago, I’m just happy to see you again after you dropped off the face of the Earth.” He hugs her again. “I was worried about you Tannie.”

Winnie whines, hiding her face in her hands. “Now I feel even worse.” She scolds, whacking his shoulder with no power.

“Nope. Again. It’s been years. But you bet your ass you’re not allowed to disappear on me again.”

Winnie’s coos are overridden by Hoseok’s squeal. “Who is this cute, sappy version of Yoongi and where has he been all these years?” He teases. Yoongi delivers a swift kick to the back of his knee, face impassive as Hoseok drops to the floor. But Hoseok goes with it, winking up at him from his kneeling position. Yoongi’s cheeks go scarlett and he refuses to look in his direction.

“What are you guys doing here? You came together and everything.” Winnie’s practically buzzing in her seat.

Jin, feeling excluded from their cute reunion, offers an answer. “They’ve been looking for you.” but before he can extend, following his  _ perfectly  _ placed dramatic pause, the door opens once more.

“Namjoon? Jimin? Oh my God.” Winnie leaps from her spot to embrace the two males, their hug a lot more soft than the energetic, borderline aggressive one from earlier.

“Noona, I’ve been trying to get your details for ages missy.” Namjoon scolds with no fire in his words. 

“Of course. You know I didn’t have a phone. Or a home. But I have one now! Of both!” She almost brags, sending a surge of warmth through the owl at her more… unique speech. You can’t say that Winnie isn’t enthusiastic. 

“Well then I’d like details. Of both.” He teases back. She scoffs at his disrespectful tone as a dongsaeng, instead turning her attention to Jimin and reaching out to pinch his cheek.

“There you are you little troublemaker.” His face drops with absolute mortification at her words. “Oh no, gosh no seriously Jiminie don’t cry!” She panics. “It was a joke. I promise!” She desperately turns to the others. Namjoon and Yoongi both look as scared as her, but Hoseok and Jin both step in like it’s their job (Which she guesses it is) to comfort the crying boy. What an awful turn of events.

“I’m sorry noona, I was awful.” He drops his head with a sob. 

“Jiminie, look at noona.” She demands, stern voice nothing to mess with. He does as he’s told, sniffling his nose and looking like he’s expecting a punch. “Jimin. The dancing was an accident, one I forgave years ago. And me and Hoseok breaking up has even less to do with you, there were other things going down at the same time and that was almost like an excuse to break up at that time. And if we hadn’t have broken up I wouldn’t have met the love of my life. Plus he was always checking out Yoongi when he came out of the shower.” She shoots him a suspicious glance but Hoseok just takes it in his stride, shrugging as if to ask ‘ _ what can I say?’.  _ She shakes her head, exasperated but amused by his response. Yoongi’s jaw drops in outrage.

“I feel  _ violated. _ ” He scolds, but his lips twitch despite himself.

Jimin’s stopped crying now but he still looks sheepish, “I’m still sorry noona. I was out of order and I never officially apologised to you.”

“Apology accepted. Now you have some explaining to do mister. How do you and Namjoon know each other? And why are you both here as well?” She glances down pointedly to where Namjoon’s fingers are still entwined with the piglets’. They both blush and scrabble to releases each other, sending one of Jimin’s rings flying with their matching clumsy flair.

“As I was saying earlier”, Jin pipes up, “They’ve all been looking for you because-” This time he doesn’t even get to finish his first sentence before the door is flung open and two bodies practically tackle Winnie to the floor in a hug, Taehyung cushioning the fall while Jeongguk knocks the air out of them both. “I’ll never get to say what I want, will I?” Jin mutters, defeatedly leaning back in his chair. The boys both chatter nonsense at Winnie, restricting her ability to answer as they just coddle her, making a strange bundle on the floor that the other four just stare at, feeling a bit awkward and uninvolved. Seeing that this isn’t going to end anytime soon, Jin hauls Jeongguk up and wraps an arm around his slim waist. Instead of helping up his girlfriend, Tae simply snuggles into her more, dropping kisses wherever he can reach.

“Um. Guys.” Yoongi drawls, snapping them out of their moment. With flaming cheeks, Winnie stands back up and sheepishly looks towards her boyfriend.

“You worried me sick. I thought you were out in the streets with no insulin or way of contacting anyone. How could you be so reckless?” He scolds, the harshness cushioned by his enamoured tone. Jimin and Namjoon, as the newest pair in the room, feel a little uncomfortable. The other two couples just naturally lean towards each other in reassurance.

“I’m sorry for making you worried. I think it’s established that I’m a bit of a pussy when it comes to apologies.”

“Don’t be silly noona. You’re a bear, not a pussy.” Jimin teases, wanting the mood to be a lot more comfortable. The girl in question lets out a giggle at the terrible joke, being the only one other than Jin to laugh. The rest just look vaguely horrified. Tae wraps his girlfriend in his arms, practically dwarfing her against his frame. 

“I forgive you. Just please next time go to one of your friends or something instead so they can let me know you’re alright. We’ve been on a wild goose chase trying to find you.” Jin pouts, his role stolen from right under his nose.

“All of you? Together. Gu-uys〜” She croons. “How do any of you even know each other? I feel like I missed out because I didn’t know. I could have been in touch with you all so much sooner.” Winnie pouts.

Jin seizes his chance “Taehyung came here to find me. I know Jeongguk so that was one link. Taehyung also knows Namjoon. Namjoon knows Yoongi and obviously Yoongi knows Hoseok and Jimin.” He summarizes. “We only really realised because of your diary. You left it outside” he adds, passing it over to her.

“For fucks sake. I’d forget my head if it weren’t screwed on.” She moans dramatically.

“We love you anyway.” Taehyung kisses her cheek.

“Oh shit actually.Speaking of love; Jeon Jeongguk! I knew you were a fucking narcissist. Just look at your boyfriend! He’s you but older and with genuine, real life lips. I bet you’re jealous.”

“Oh Winnie stop being such a poo” Jeongguk reverts back to his childhood insults, the petty things that him and Winnie used to throw at each other just to rile the other up. But this time it has the adverse effect. Instead, Winnie just smiles dopily at all of her friends, gathered in one space. 

 

“Just call me Winnie the Pooh.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a product of exam stress and procrastination. I'm sorry.  
> (pls dont take this seriously)


End file.
